Ed Wade regrets slow pace of team’s progress

Ed Wade’s first act as the former general manager of the Astros was similar to many of his final acts in the sunset of his tenure with the club — trying to convince anyone who would listen that the people in place, especially manager Brad Mills, were the right ones for the job.

His second was to try to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with the knowledge that days later, the Astros would announce his firing after four seasons.

Mills, whom Wade has frequently defended and praised, may end up staying through 2012 or 2013 or even 2040, as his roster never lent itself to drastically more than the 132-192 record of the last two years indicated. But Wade will not, a victim of a 292-355 record in his four seasons that included no playoff appearances and culminated in a league-worst 56-106 record last season that doubled as the poorest season in franchise history.

Wade was informed of his firing Wednesday morning — the day after Jim Crane’s ownership group and CEO George Postolos officially took control of the franchise — and met with the incoming brass hoping to impress upon them the virtues of the existing staff, which is still in limbo.

“There’s a lot of good people; I made that point when I walked out the door,” Wade said Monday. “I certainly hope that whoever comes in will recognize the level of dedication and talent that exists.”

Nice parting gift

As for our contestant, he won’t be leaving the stage empty-handed. Wade, in addition to owning a 2012 contract, which was picked up before the 2010 season, had an evergreen clause in his deal that triggered a guarantee of his employment status for another year. Wade will be paid for the 2012 and 2013 seasons and said he hopes to work elsewhere in the game.

He was hired to replace Tim Purpura in September 2007, the end of a disappointing season that featured one of the worst drafts by any team in major league history with no pick above the fifth round signing. On that date, Wade’s former team, the Philadelphia Phillies, was closing in on the Mets for their first of what would be five straight playoff appearances.

Wade set about turning around the Astros farm system, but transition was slow to come to the farm, as is the nature of the game. And in Houston, results never manifested themselves.

His biggest free-agent signings, Kaz Matsui and Brandon Lyon, were poor investments. And at the big league level, the Astros weren’t relevant beyond May of either of the last two seasons, zapping much of the interest in a city that had half a decade earlier been captivated.

Wade spoke Monday about his regrets, tinging some with the obvious “buts” associated with an outgoing owner’s slashing payroll. (Ex-owner Drayton McLane said Monday he was surprised to see Wade fired but respected the new owners’ desire for new direction.)

Too much lost talent

Wade regretted not keeping Jose Valverde, LaTroy Hawkins and Randy Wolf, all of whom left via free agency to have success elsewhere. He regretted having to trade four popular All-Stars in Roy Oswalt, Lance Berkman, Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn at the last two trade deadlines.

But ultimately, he regretted how slowly the process was going to turn the Astros back into a playoff team.

“I regret we didn’t have a parade down Texas Avenue,” Wade said. “That this thing didn’t get turned around faster for our fans and our front office.”

The Oswalt tree from Philadelphia has been slow to bear fruit, with J.A. Happ and Brett Wallace having regressed last year. And Wade’s two big moves at the trade deadline last year will be judged only in hindsight long after he’s left the organization.

High-ceiling returns for Pence leave some hope of a belated “thank you” from the fan base down the road, as has been granted in Philadelphia, home of the 2008 champions and perennial contenders.

For now, Wade’s departure remains step 1, along with the 1A of Tal Smith’s dismissal, on what the new owners hope is a road toward returning that fan base to Astros baseball through an oh-so-slow turnaround on the field.